AMRA'S Bid for SEA1350 Phase 2 has been Submitted

18 Oktober 2020

AMRA offer for Royal Australian Navy’s Magnetic Treatment Facility (photos : ECA)

Victorian-based Advanced Magnetic Ranges Australia Pty Limited (AMRA), a joint venture combining the engineering expertise of AMOG with French naval technology specialist ECA Group, has just submitted their bid for the Royal Australian Navy’s Magnetic Treatment Facility, known as project SEA1350 Phase 2.

AMOG CEO, Ben Clark, has confirmed that AMRA’s submission, “Includes an impressive list of Australian subcontractors and SMEs who will ensure that Australian industry content is maximised, whilst delivering the best global technology from ECA Group.”

“Safety at sea is a continuous challenge since it is a hostile environment. Beyond the fact that AMRA’s solution is based on a tried, tested and approved method of ship protection through magnetic risk management such as deperming of submarines, our solution is a real technological breakthrough as it simplifies the process and reduces the time required,” added Mr Philippe Novelli, Chief Commercial Officer of the Robotics Division at ECA Group.

Project SEA1350 Phase 2 is set to replace an existing deperming facility at Fleet Base West and is seeking an innovative ‘over-run’ solution that will deliver both time and cost savings to the Commonwealth. It replaces the traditional deperming process of wrapping the entire body of a ship or submarine in a massive wire coil and passing electricity through the coil to reduce the magnetic ‘signature’ of the vessel.

The innovative AMRA approach instead uses wire coils laid down on the seabed, supported by a custom-designed subsea structure, through which a specific current form is passed as the vessel moves over the coils. This single day ‘over-run’ process provides a significant operational advantage when compared to the traditional wrapping, which can take up to 10 days.

AMRA is committed to maximising opportunities for Australian industry. Core to this commitment is the integration of a number of Australian companies and SMEs, including Total AMS, THYCON, DM Civil, Logistic Engineering Services, Matrix, FRP Engineering, Solutions from Silicon, and the Australian arm of Boskalis. AMRA will support the transfer of knowledge from ECA in France, bring UK-based ARC Marine’s reef technology to Cockburn Sound working with Polevine Pty Ltd (Permacast), and help create a new cable manufacturing capability transferred from Italy to Prysmian Australia Pty Ltd.

As a witness to the signing of the Joint Venture agreement in April 2019, Victorian Minister for Jobs, Innovation and Trade, The Hon Martin Pakula MP, noted, “This is a great collaborative model that will help set [AMRA] apart from competitors as they bid for future domestic and global maritime projects.”

(AMRA)